Is that two Chinese banquets in one day leads to a massive hangover...
"Bang Bang Bang!" on my hotel door. I stumble up and answer it. It's Joanna's Uncle. He's smiling and wants me to get up. I give him the universal sign that I need to take a shower and he understands. I undress and get into the shower and it is as I expect. The water is cold cold cold. One thing I have learned from my experience here in China is that the hot water in a hotel is hit and miss. This one, while it's a nice hotel, lacks hot water. Perhaps there's a switch I'm overlooking for this function but probably not. I do my best to take a speedy shower and it's fast because the water is COLD. I exit the shower and I get another "BANG BANG BANG" on my door. I figure it's Joanna's Uncle again so I answer it in my towel. He gives me the universal sign that I need to speed up and I tell him in English that "I'm moving as fast as possible."
Obviously he doesn't understand because a few minutes later Joanna is at my door telling me that her Aunt is ready to start cooking for us. I tell her that I am moving as fast as humanly possible but I fail to mention that I am hung over. Am I? It may be too early to tell with that cold water.
Finally I get dressed and exit my room. Joanna and her smiling Uncle are waiting for me in the lobby. I smile back at them and we head across the street to his house. We go up a flight of stairs and I sit back down comfortably in the same chair I sat in the previous day. Oh man am I hung over.
Ok, so I haven't had a hang over in a LONG time. I think it's because I don't drink the hard stuff and I actually avoid it for this reason while sticking to beer and wine but yesterday it was abundant and I was trying my best to make a good impression by partaking in the festivities and today I'm feeling the wrath of Chairman Mao. Ouch.
Joanna's aunt serves some sort of oatmeal like gruel or porridge that I'm totally not digging out of a big thermos. Everyone offers me some fruit and I'm really not that hungry. They serve me some tea and I accept that. I'm really not feeling quite well, really. Mental note to self, please please please don't drink the hard stuff!
Somehow my lack of eating is a cause for commotion and everyone is asking Joanna if I'm alright. I mention to her that I'm not really feeling my best. I tell them that the heater in my room was overly efficient (and it was) and dried me out completely. It was so hot I actually slept above the sheets because I couldn't figure out hot to turn it down. Joanna's uncle mentions that maybe it's best if I get some rest in the side room on the bed. I think he's figured out my plight. Joanna suggests that I go into the side room and lay down and get some more rest. I am relieved by her suggestion. I'm really not feeling 100%. I lay on the bed and Joanna closes the door behind me. I can hear the TV and her family talking just beyond the door. Oh why Oh why did I drink that much Baiju? How was it different from the other banquets? (So I find out later that the Baiju we were drinking last night happened to be 52% in strength instead of 38%. Big difference.)
I think I may have just caught a cold from the heater in the room, the hangover, and probably the cold weather outside. I start to cough. Joanna's family files in one by one to see if I'm ok. Really, I'll be fine if I can just get some sleep. In files Joanna's aunt who seems upset by the fact that she's caused me this much pain with her urge to see me drink. Don't worry, it was me not you.
I sleep for another hour or so and then lunch is served. I do appreciate that Joanna's aunt slaved away in the kitchen and made dumplings for me and bought some expensive shrimp for us to eat, but I'm not really feeling like food right now. I take what I feel is an honorable amount and try to get it down but it's aparently not enough to make her aunt happy. What can I do? I make my way back to the hotel to finish the packing job I started the night before and we say our goodbyes and make our way to the local train station to head to Beijing. From what I hear Joanna's brother has bought us tickets to go from Qufu to Beijin via high speed train that should only take 4 hours.
I'm feeling a bit better after drinking a bit of tea and we sit in the waiting area of the train station waiting for our train to show up and I talk to Lulu (Joanna's cousin) about her experiences in the United Kingdom. She's a smart girl and interested to converse with me in English. I think she's on break for the new years. Aparently she is studying the music industry. I ask her a few questions about what MUSIC industry she is studying and it's closer to POP music than the genre I'm influenced by. The train is close and we head up to the platform to board. I understand we only have around a minute to board the train as this is a short stop so we make our way to the platform and ready for departing. Hoa is here and he is busy making his goodbyes with me. This guy is great. I mean he really likes me and aparently I'm his first foreign friend and he's going the extra mile saying his goodbyes. I understand he wants to visit me sometime in the US. He is very welcome to do that. We board the train as it arrives and find our seats. Joanna is sitting across the aisle from me and I'm sitting next to a gentleman that likes to take up more than his share of the armrest that separates us. Thank goodness this train isn't full because the couple who is sitting next to Joanna moves to an unoccupied row that leave space for me to sit next to her. I'm starting to feel better and fall asleep next to her with my head on her shoulder/head rest.
I sleep most of the journey and wake up to the last stop of Beijing. It's nice to finally arrive and we depart the train. Wow. This train moves as fast as the Japanese Bullets. We depart and head towards the taxi exit. I can't tell you enough that whoever designed this terminal made poor choices at the exit. I mean there appears to be only one exit and there are so many people leaving that it's almost impossible to get out, especially with luggage. BAD BAD BAD design. I mean common! The architecture in this building is amazing. But the lack of exits in this place boggles the mind. I would hate to think what would happen in an emergency. Thank god we don't have one.
We wait about a half an hour in the taxi queue to catch a cab to our hotel and shrug off the third party offers for fake taxis while waiting in the queue. I'm on my guard by now in the trip and if it doesn't seem kosher, I'm not going to budge. We finally make a taxi and he takes us to our hotel while telling Joanna the pitfalls of the city for me to look out for. He's a nice driver but is a bit rough around the edges from what I gather from Joanna, as he's making comments after talking to our hotel like "The receptionist didn't want to talk to me and I don't really want to talk to her." He's funny, really. He drops us off at our hotel and we check in and get to our room. It's a nicer hotel and I am pleasantly surprised by the quality for the location and cost after seeing the room. This place may actually have hot running water! I'm feeling better now after my earlier hangover and Joanna and I hit the hay for the evening.
